Lakemoor’s old Village Hall to be demolished

LAKEMOOR – A former fire station from the 1950s that found new life as Lakemoor’s Village Hall will be demolished after the April election.

The Village Board voted unanimously to seek bids for the demolition of the former Village Hall, 234 Rand Road. Bids will be due April 8.

The village moved out of the building in May because it would cost too much to repair it, Village President Todd Weihofen said. The roof leaked and the building does not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Voting is still being held there, but the village is working to change that, perhaps moving to the public works building as a polling place, Weihofen said.

That’s why the village has to wait until after the April 9 election to demolish the building.

The village is currently renting space at 28874 W. Route 120, Suites C and D, and Village Board meetings have been held at the police department.

“It’s that time,” Weihofen said. “It’s been sitting. We’re finally at the point where we can get it done.”

Trustee Kimberly Beach has been pushing for the board to move ahead with the demolition process before the election so that the next board – three trustee seats and the village presidency are up – has a clean slate.

Beach filed to run as a write-in candidate after getting tossed off the ballot in her bid for re-election for not having enough valid signatures.

The board has been meeting in executive session over the last few months to consider possible locations for the new Village Hall. Demolition opens up the current site for consideration, too, Weihofen said, not just for a new Village Hall but also possible development.

A decision could be made as early as May, Weihofen said.

A long-range comprehensive plan adopted earlier this month suggests putting a new Village Hall in a proposed walkable town center near Lily Lake and Morrison Park.

The board also approved a new logo and motto for the village at Thursday’s meeting.

The motto is “Prosperity and Pride,” and the logo features a silhouette of a girl on a swing and the village’s name in front of fluffy, stylized trees. The village’s name is also reflected in a bright blue lake.